Solves A Lot Of Problems ...
 

Just flip a damn coin, or give the ball to the visitors.

(I can't wait until Mark T. DeNucci, Sr. wakes up from his pre-lunch nap, and reads this.)

I've seen rookies do it, and always bring it up to them later.

Never seen anyone beyond his rookie year forget. Kinda like the back pedal.

Stuff Happens ...
 

Not necessarily after a jump ball, but I'd be lying to everybody if I said that I've never once forgotten to put a whistle in my mouth over the past thirty-four years.

Read the posts again, Billy.

Test question for you:
We're talking about officials who a) forget to put the whistle back in their mouth. or b) officials who don't take the whistle out of their mouth prior to administering a jump ball.

I've seen the tossing official blow back a toss...or even get an obvious violation on a jump ball...several seconds after the fact.

I would say if it's egregious enough...I'm talking real egregious, then I get it. But 98/100 times, live with what the U1 and/or U2 have ruled.

Like Arnold Horshack ...
 

Bingo.

I occasionally get ready to start the second half without realizing my whistle is still in my pocket.

Whistle stays
 

I step in, toss it high, and take a half step backwards - all with a whistle in my mouth. I have never been bumped, hit, pushed or otherwise assaulted during this process in many years of reffing. The key is to keep room between the players, delay a bit after stepping in, toss it high from shoulder heighth, and pull back a little bit out of the way so they don't come down on top of you. It might not be how others would do it but this works for me!

You might the first person I've heard (save for rookies) advocate keeping the whistle while tossing the ball...

I like my teeth intact...all it takes is a flailing arm to get ya...step back or not. Plus, you're still in the pocket when you're actually tossing the ball...which means a player can still get you on the way up.

It works well for you until you get the bill for getting your teeth fixed.

The Officials Manual also explicitly says to remove the whistle before tossing.

You are literally the only person I've ever seen advocate for this. There is absolutely zero upside to keeping your whistle in here, and the downside is huge. If you're teaching new officials this, you're doing them a major disservice.

Not advoating it, just saying I have been doing it this way for a while. I do hear what you guys are saying and maybe I'll break that habit before I have a reason to bteak it.

Yuck. Would it change the game? Not really. But it is, in my view, a nice traditional piece. (Of course, I think we should abolish the playground rule otherwise known as the AParrow . . . .) At the start of the game, I agree it really doesn't matter. In OT -- especially at younger levels with shorter OTs -- that tip can matter an awful lot and I'd really hate to see that go to a coin flip.

(And perhaps I'm also biased at the moment because my son is an effective jumper on jump balls, and an effective jump ball play has led to layups in about half their games.)

So 80% of the time the ball goes to the team with the tallest center. Idiotic way to start a game.

I wouldn't mind going to a coin flip, if only to give some meaning to otherwise near-useless captain's meeting. And to FINALLY have a reason for all my partners who still insist on asking who the 'speaking captain' is.